Episode Description
The Glorious Dead review: the Adams Family wake a small town to blood in the taps and dead that will not stay buried.
Meaghan and Arthur close out their Fantasia 2026 coverage with a mini review of The Glorious Dead, the sixth consecutive film from the Adams Family to world premiere at Fantasia. John Adams and Toby Poser wrote and directed it. Poser stars as Sheriff Deb McCloud, who wakes up on her day off to a total blackout, blood coming out of faucets, missing people, holes in the ground that should not be there, and creatures in the woods. Zelda Adams plays her deputy Mikey. The whole thing unfolds over roughly twenty four hours in the dead of an upstate New York winter, and it goes exactly where you do not expect.
The Adams Family and Their Sixth Fantasia World Premiere
- John Adams and Toby Poser write and direct together, Poser stars, and daughters Zelda and Lulu Adams act in the films. They shoot, score, and edit as a unit out of upstate New York.
- The Glorious Dead is the sixth consecutive film from the family to world premiere at Fantasia, following The Deeper You Dig, Hellbender, Where the Devil Roams, Hell Hole, and Mother of Flies.
- John Adams told the room before the screening that Fantasia is where they find out what their movie is actually about. They screen it, they read the reaction, then they know what they made.
The Glorious Dead: Blood in the Taps and a Town Coming Apart
- Toby Poser plays Sheriff Deb McCloud, woken on her day off by a full blackout in the dead of an upstate New York winter. No power, no wifi, no cell service. The cars still run (do not think about it).
- Zelda Adams plays Deputy Mikey, bringing in reports of blood from faucets, missing people and holes in the ground that nobody can explain.
- The story covers roughly twenty four hours. Calling it a zombie movie is technically true and completely misleading.
Adams Family Style: Quick Cuts and a Heavy Metal Score
- Fast interspersed cuts, deadpan performances everyone fully commits to, and a metal score the edit syncs to. There is a shot of windshield wipers moving in time with the beat and it rules.
- Every film in their catalogue is a different subgenre: supernatural thriller, folk horror, Great Depression period piece, creature feature body horror, dark fantasy.
- Mother of Flies is streaming on Shudder now if you want an entry point
The Ratings and the Ending Nobody Called
- Meaghan started around a six on the night and moved up to a seven after a few days. The first two thirds landed immediately, the ending took time.
- Arthur went a hard seven, setting the film's closing message aside. The last ten minutes are wild enough that he wanted more of that energy earlier.
TERM: Dean Norris, Mark Hamill and a Hell of a Short
- Written and directed by Chadrick Preuss, also a Fantasia 2026 world premiere, playing before The Glorious Dead
- Dean Norris of Breaking Bad carries the whole thing basically alone as a state senator facing a miracle that turns into a nightmare across one night before a major vote on abortion.
- Every other character speaks to him over the phone, and one of those voices is Mark Hamill.
- The producing team reached out to Hamill on a maybe and got a yes. Ask for the thing.
Where Fantasia Shorts Go After the Festival
- Shorts this good are almost impossible to watch again once the festival ends, and that is a real problem worth naming.
- Fingers crossed for a Shudder pickup on The Glorious Dead, since most of the family's catalogue already lives there.
- One more Fantasia 2026 minisode is coming for the closing film
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